Powder measure

[Timberland]

Need advice on medering powder, im not going for a $300 set up. Im Have a LEE and cant get 2 charges near the same, and now im starting to feel like im breaking up grains. What is the best and what works with WIN 748 ball powder. I just bought a new scale so ill figure just how off the lee is, but I will replace it eventually. So what powder measures are the most consistant for the above mentioned powder?

[Mr. Mildot]

Are you using a Lee powder measure (the long tube to hold powder and the lever to "throw" the charge") only, or do you throw the charge and then trickle up to your desired weight?

The reason I ask is that I use Hodgdon Varget, which meters for poo, and a Lee measure, I just set the charge to throw a little light and then trickle up to my weight. The Lee measures extruded powder wildly, sometimes having differences from throw to throw by almost 1 full grain although it's usually about .2-.4 low.

Heres the trickler I use, $13:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=317787

[StraightShooter]

I have a lee and an rcbs and I dont use the lee anymore. The rcbs is pretty good but for precision loads i set it up so that it throws just under what i need then trickle the rest in with a trickler. If you are loading plinking ammo then I wouldnt worry about the variance you are getting as long as it isnt extreme.

[rksimple]

I have a Redding now, but have had an RCBS and a Lyman measure. They all did quite well with ball powders of all types.

After using the chargemaster, I wish I'd bought it sooner.

[Mr. Mildot]

I've been thinking about going to something like a Chargemaster, if for no other reason than to save time, but I'm still too cheap.

[rksimple]

I've been thinking about going to something like a Chargemaster, if for no other reason than to save time, but I'm still too cheap.

With Varget and RL15 (or any extruded powder for that matter), I save quite a bit of time and headache from trickling. Natchez had a sale for like 240 bucks so I jumped on it. Its been good to me.

[Timberland]

Its lee on stand, I want to avoid trickeling, are any throwers accurate enough to be repeatable?

[ar15barrels]

Its lee on stand, I want to avoid trickeling, are any throwers accurate enough to be repeatable?

If you have your technique down, they can be, especially with ball powders like 748.

You need to practice throwing charges.
Spend an evening throwing charges into a scale and weighing each one.
Vary your technique until you learn to throw more consistent charges.
I like to "double bump" at the top and at the bottom between each stroke.
I believe this helps the powder settle into the rotor and ensures that all the powder gets into the case.
If you leave powder in the rotor, the last charge is low and the next charge is high.

Throw 5-10 charges before you start charging cases so the measure can start to "flow" more consistently.

[Blue]

Run some powder through it first, IIRC the Dillon manual says to do that to get rid of static cling or something like that.

[Waldog]

You will never get 100%, dead-on-accurate, powder drops from ANY powder measure. It depends on what type or powder you are tying to meter. Ball type powder meters best followed by flake type. Extruded powder meters the worst.
Depending on what you are loading, i.e., pistol or rifle, SMALL variations are acceptable.

With ball type powder loading pistol you should get about +/- .1 of a grain variance.
With extruded powder, like IMR 4895, loading rifle cases, you should get about +/- .2 to .4 grain variance.

A baffle in your powder measure significantly improves your metering repeatability with ALL types of powder.

The ONLY way to get dead-on-accurate is to drop a lite charge and trickle the remainder

[30Cal]

I ignore variance and refuse to trickle (but I am very mindfull to operate my measure exactly the same each time). I will typically weigh charges for 600yd loads, but only because everyone else does.

[Gunsrruss]

Powder charge

Pact Dispenser and scale combo or Charge master. Works for me I have the Pact. I'm happy

[Timberland]

will the .1 grain diffrence change the poi/poa, I want to stay sub MOA, My rifle hovers around sub moa, I want a little better, thats the main reason I took up reloading. Any how I guess all dispensors are a lil off, even the $300 ones.

[rksimple]

will the .1 grain diffrence change the poi/poa, I want to stay sub MOA, My rifle hovers around sub moa, I want a little better, thats the main reason I took up reloading. Any how I guess all dispensors are a lil off, even the $300 ones.

No. You can be .1 high or low and still stay MOA, especially at closer distances.

[Ceemack]

A decent powder measure, like an RCBS Uniflow, is fine for practice ammo. 748 is a good powder to use for that application, because it meters so easily.

But for precision, scale-weighing is the only way to go. If you can blow $350-$400 on a dispenser and scale, that's the best option. If you're one of those who can't, you're stuck with setting the measure to throw a charge that's a few tenths short and trickle in the rest by hand.

748 probably isn't the best powder for building precision loads, either.

If you're looking for a good measure, the RCBS Uniflow is a good one--especially if it's equipped with a baffle (you'll have to buy it separately, but it's $7 well spent).